Bergeson's last "state of education" address

"Mend it, don't end it."

I wonder if Bergeson is actually a little glad to be done. Her successor, after all, has to do all the hard work of fixing her mistakes, as well as repairing the funding system she inherited and did little to change.

But I hear a committee is looking into it.

the post-Bergeson future of the WASL

Dick Lilly, on the future of the WASL:

The door is now open to change the type of test from one that is based on a particular educational philosophy (the ultimate problem with the WASL and most tests of its ilk) to one that is content-based. At root, what’s wrong with the WASL is that it is designed in response to the dominant educational philosophy of the past 40 or so years — the “student-centered,” “discovery” learning that de-emphasizes content knowledge in favor of critical thinking. That's a short-hand description and a lot can be said about this approach, but what it amounts to is the contention that you can make profound decisions while looking at a spreadsheet in which every cell is blank.

To get away from this style of testing, Dorn should switch immediately at the high school level to the SAT subject tests (formerly the SAT IIs). These are good if not excellent content tests, as are the advanced placement (AP) tests. Such tests would provide a stunningly clear picture of what our high school graduates know.

lesser of two WASLs

The News-Tribune's Peter Callaghan explains why Randy Dorn isn't quite the candidate WASL foes hoped for. Which is no surprise, really; if Semler hadn't dropped out, Dorn wouldn't even be in the race. He was hardly anyone's first choice.

video voter's guide: Bergeson vs. Dorn

Watch Bergeson defend her record and tell of her plan to, among other things, reform education at the national level. Watch Dorn go into attack mode, especially when it comes to the WASL.

It takes 11 minutes of your time.

no WASL boost for Bergeson

If you're a teacher, you probably already knew what others saw only today: that, statewide, WASL scores were either down or up only slightly, the most notable exception in the 10th grade writing exam.

The results in some other grades improved, especially in grade 5, where the passage rate in reading rose to 75.3 percent, up 3.4 percentage points from last year. And more of this fall's incoming seniors have already passed both reading and writing on the WASL than their counterparts had a year ago.

How many more? About 0.5 percent in 10th reading, and 2.3% in writing. Math declined roughly a percentage point. Science, which yet counts for naught, saw slightly higher scores--39.7% passing versus 36.4% in 2007. And in the lower grades:

But the results in grades 4 and 7, which declined more than the other scores went up, are causing consternation for Bergeson and others. About 72 percent of fourth-graders passed the reading section of the WASL, down 4.3 percentage points from the previous year. In math, 53.4 percent of students passed, down 4.7 percentage points. In seventh grade, reading scores declined nearly 6 percentage points, to 62.8 percent passing, and about half of the students passed math, down 4.3 percentage points from last year.

Bergeson has already exculpated the test, saying that "Something is happening with the kids."

WASL fatigue? Mad Cow disease? iPoditis?

At any rate, look for Randy Dorn to harp on the essentially flat test scores over the past few goes-round as evidence of stagnation, and look for Bergeson to fire back that OSPI is already working on fixes, including truncated tests for tykes.

Bergeson fails the WASL

Actually, not really. Well, sort of.

Out of three questions given to Bergeson, the answer sheet posted on The Stranger showed that she didn’t answer any of the three questions correctly....

Bergeson's campaign manager told KIRO 7 that The Stranger surprised Bergeson with the questions, which she had trouble seeing, because she didn't have her glasses with her.

That is... a lame excuse.

WASL Redesign

Fresh from the OSPI presses to your web browser, here are the changes to the WASL for 2009:

Shorten the test with fewer constructed response items

• Fewer short answer items and no extended response items in Grades 3, 4 and 5 in reading, mathematics, and science
• Fewer short answer items in Grades 6, 7, and 8 in reading and fewer short answer items and extended response items in Grades 6, 7, and 8 in mathematics and science
• No change in HS

Shorten the number of sessions

• Fewer number of sessions in Grades 3, 4, and 5 in mathematics and science (from 3 sessions to 2 sessions: therefore districts may reduce the number of days used for test administration)
• Same number of sessions in Grades 6, 7, and 8 (2 sessions: however, because the test is shorter, districts may choose to reduce the number of days used for test administration)
• For example, districts may administer the two sessions in one day (administer the entire reading WASL on one day), or administer two subjects on one day (administer one session of the reading WASL in the morning and one session of the mathematics WASL in the afternoon).
• The State will maintain the same 3 week test window. Districts may decide how to administer the test within the window.

Click on the above graphic to enlarge the information.

I have no doubt that the changes being made are cost-cutting measures, but it makes my heart ache to see the decreases in constructed response items (both short and extended). I can't speak for the other testing areas, but in science, the numbers were originally determined in order to eliminate gender bias. Might results be skewed in the future? Can we really use selected response heavy tests as valid measures of student achievement?

WASL passage rate tops 90%

91.4% of the class of 2008 can sleep well tonight, glowing in the light of the WASL. (Well, at least since the math portion was dropped.)

I'm glad--well, not glad, but satisfied--to see KOMO getting the other, often unmentioned part of the story: that 15,000 students have already dropped out. That's about 18% of the original class of 2008, number about 82,000 in all.

If a few more drop because they can't get credits, and a few more because the WASL stumps 'em, then we'll be at near the historically high dropout rate. This, to me, is the most important issue we face in secondary education, WASL or no. I'm somewhat optimistic that the State Board of Education is serious about tackling it, with their revision of graduation requirements and talk of pathways, but... we'll see.

Oh, and: I totally called it.

Big Announcement Coming From Terry Bergeson

...on the 10th grade WASL scores and how this impacts graduation, this Tuesday, June 3rd at 10:00 a.m. News brief from OSPI here; link to TV Washington here where you'll be able to watch the press conference live.

It should provide some good blog fodder.

$113,602,848

That’s the estimated cost of the WASL during the 2006-2007 school year, according to research done by the WEA. This includes the cost of printing, administering, delivering, proctoring, storing, and scoring the test for grades 3 through 10. It seems like a very high number, and I'm curious to see the research behind it.

The big question right now in Washington State—is it worth it?

Rich Semler sounds good on the radio box

I caught Rich Semler's appearance [mp3, 20:00 in] on the Dori Monson Show (Frank Shiers filling in) on KIRO this afternoon, and was impressed by his good humor, quick wit, and overall amiableness. I liked how Semler stressed the difference between being anti-WASL and anti-assessment. We can use less expensive, just as reliable instruments to get the results we need.

In an important interchange, Shiers asked Semler how he'd reform the WASL. A few steps:

1. Smarter use of multiple choice.
2. Get it back to teachers in 2-3 days.
3. 2-3 hour test, instead of days.
4. Testing complex thinking without taking 12-14 questions per student.
5. "Mime" systems like Delaware's.

It didn't help so much that Shiers, who's otherwise well-versed in educational issues, wasn't aware that Terry Bergeson is actually in the running, which perfectly illustrates the primary problem Semler faces. The Superintendent of Public Instruction just doesn't register on the average voter's radar.

If Semler can overcome that hurdle--and here, the ongoing publicity efforts by the WEA should help--he has a decent shot at an incumbent whose popular support, such as it is, weakens daily.

pissed pedagogue won't WASL

Seattle teacher Carl Chew refused to administer the sixth-grade WASL to his students, taking a two week unpaid vacation as a consequence.

Carl Chew, 60, who teaches science, wanted to take a stand against a test he considers harmful to students, teachers, schools and families.

"I did it because I think it's bad for kids," he said.

He said he knew he would face consequences, and might even be fired.

"When you do an act of civil disobedience, you gracefully accept what happens to you," he said.

Before the WASL started at Eckstein last week, Chew said he told Eckstein administrators that he would not give the exam. He said they tried to talk him out of it.

Or into it, really.

I'm surprised he wasn't fired straight up for insubordination. He must have a pretty good record--or a pretty forgiving administration. At the very least, he's sincere, knowing full well what his mini-rebellion would entail.

Click through and read the whole thing.

Gregoire passes end-of-course exams

I'm still a little surprised that she signed a bill to gut the Math WASL, replacing it with end-of-course tests (described earlier). The WASL's been such a fixture on the landscape for so long, and Gregoire had previously been so adamant about preserving high standards.

But no: no more Math WASL.

In 2013, students will have a choice: Pass the math WASL, or two end-of-course exams. In some districts, those exams will be given at the end of Algebra I and Geometry I. In districts that mix those two subjects into "integrated" math classes, there will be end-of-course exams in Integrated Math I and II.

In 2014, the math WASL is scheduled to end all together.

A bill that would have dumped the WASL in favor of end-of-course exams also passed last year, but Gregoire vetoed it, in part because she thought there were too many unanswered questions, said Judy Hartmann, her executive policy adviser for K-12 education.

Since then, however, the state Board of Education commissioned a study that looked at end-of-course exams in other states and concluded that both the math WASL and end-of-course exams can do a good job of assessing students' math skill.

And before you say anything: yes, I realize the title is ambiguous. It's on purpose.

Is Loin-girding Really Necessary?

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has published an article alluding to a Battle Brewing Over the WASL, but after reading it, I'm not convinced that they've picked the right foe. A good piece of the article is about growing WEA dissatisfaction with state supe Terry Bergeson.

What the teachers' union doesn't seem to understand is that testing is not Bergeson's choice. Sure, we could use some assessment different from the WASL, but even if Terry wasn't in that office we would still have state tests. It's a federal requirement via NCLB. If the union is so irritated with testing, then they need to complain to those who can actually do something about it. Shooting the messenger will accomplish nothing.

The second problem with the PI article is that it misses the difference between testing in and of itself...and how the information from the tests is used. The test really isn't the issue. It's the fact that it's tied to graduation rates and other consequences that people have a problem with.

If the WEA and others are really interested in picking a fight, perhaps they should step back for a moment and think about what the real problem is and who they should ride against in battle.

math WASL dumped for end-of-course exams

Hasta la geometría, baby:

Legislators and Gov. Chris Gregoire have decided to phase out the math portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning and replace it with end-of-course tests. The final budget announced on Wednesday included $3.2 million toward developing exit tests for each math course. The senior class of 2013 will still be the first group of students who must pass a math test to graduate, but they will be able to pass either the WASL math test or end-of-course exams. And the math WASL likely will be eliminated by 2014....

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson supports the change, and Steve Mullin, president of the Washington Roundtable business group, said, “We’ve basically received a lot of assurances that while this was a different method, the rigor would be the same or perhaps higher.”

I can see a certain amount of pedagogical sense to the plan, detailed in HB 3166 [pdf]. Not sure it's going to be any less expensive, though.

Over at the Partnership for Learning blog, alisonm goes over the pros and cons. Her final assessment of the assessment:

Offering both tests gives students more options, which can be a good thing. But the reality is, if standards aren't aligned with curriculum taught by high quality teachers to motivated students, the kind of test given to students won't really make much of a difference.

WASL expenses set to rise

A week before March madness approaches again, a fun story: some of those classic WASL questions have to go.

The state superintendent's office estimates that the cost of administering the Washington Assessment of Student Learning could jump by $15 million to $25 million in 2009.

That's on top of the $22 million originally budgeted.

The increase is being driven mainly by a higher demand for testing because of the federal No Child Left Behind education law, said Joe Willhoft, an assistant state superintendent of public instruction in Olympia.

Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said paying $47 million for one year of testing is not an option.

Instead, state leaders are pressing for changes they say would shave millions off the cost and cut the amount of time spent testing without diminishing the accuracy of the WASL.

The savings would come primarily from chopping the number of open-ended, thought-provoking questions and delaying some extra features. And even then, the tests would still cost an extra $15 million or so.

The WASL takes eight days, and uses four booklets (reading, writing, math, and science). Even at today's lower rates, it costs the state roughly $70 per student to assess the WASL, assuming that student takes all four exams. Meanwhile, the SAT costs a student $43, while the PSAT costs $12. Is either any less valid than a proposed "mini-WASL?" Maybe it really is time to exorcise our Concorde effect demons and scrap the WASL.

Update 3/5: KOMO has more, noting that now, a bill to slice the WASL has passed the House. Meanwhile, the Senate wants to bring back end-of-course exams... Not while Gregoire's in office, methinks.

reassessing the WASL

Make it shorter, make it smarter, make it actually useful to teachers. Small changes, if legislators go along:

With a five-year testing contract set to expire this fall, state lawmakers are discussing adjustments that would address many criticisms of the WASL, which is given each year to students in third through eighth grades and grade 10.

Educators have long complained, for example, that the WASL eats up too many days of instruction, and teachers can't use it to figure out what help students need.

In her budget, Gov. Christine Gregoire included money to create short classroom tests that teachers can use to determine whether students are on track to pass the WASL, and another set to diagnose why they fail. She supports reducing the length of the WASL for students in third through eighth grades (but not grade 10), which would mean less testing time, quicker results — and cost savings.

She also proposes translating the math and science sections into six languages, so that many immigrant students can show what they know even if their English skills aren't strong.

In all, Gregoire is asking for about $38 million for the WASL program in the 2008-09 school year. That includes about $4.3 million in enhancements, and takes into account an estimated $12.5 million in savings from shortening the exam.

No proposed changes for 10th grade in Gregoire's / OSPI's plan. For those who think the WASL's too costly, and was never meant to track individual student progress, this news won't change a thing. But at least it's an admission that, from a teacher's and parent's perspective, the WASL as it stands isn't reaching the standard implied by the second letter of its acronym.

Meanwhile, trouble still brews in the 12th grade...

show me the WASL

This parent's eye view of the WASL is worth reading for this fact alone:

Out of a total of 1.5 million WASL test booklets marked in 2007 by Washington students in grades 3 through 12, tests from just 746 students have been shown to parents.

That's because receiving the booklet is at the parent's insistence. It ought to be a required mailing by the state, at least to every student who hasn't met standard, both to parents and teachers. The limited data currently available--scores broken down into categories, with no detailed interpretation--are as helpful as a personals ad.

If the WASL survives the current legislative session, which is likely, given a threatened Gregoire veto to any attempt to quash it, we should still push for reform in the way the middle-level tests are structured, delivered, scored, and shared. Otherwise, they're meaningless as an individual assessment.

summer WASL math remediation stinks

Mathwise, the astounding failure of WASL retakes has much to do with the quick-fix nature of the summer remediation offered.

The PAS program enrolled only 14 percent of eligible sophomores in summer 2006, and of those, only 28 percent passed a retake of the math WASL in August 2006. The results were only slightly better than those of students who didn't participate in the state-funded program.

The failure of the emergency remediation efforts was one factor in the Legislature's decision to suspend math as a graduation requirement until 2013. Students still must pass reading and writing to graduate.

The PAS summer math program, with a curriculum developed by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), was only four weeks. Administrators from several Snohomish County school districts said that was too little time to help most students.

"For the vast majority, what we could do in four weeks was not sufficient," said Ken Limón, assistant superintendent for Edmonds schools. Edmonds didn't offer the math summer PAS program this year because the earlier results were "so ineffective," Limón said.

Four weeks of math to close the gap? The words "optimistic" and "foolhardy" come to mind, followed closely by "ill-conceived" and "ridiculous."

The 4-week crash course might have helped more students who scored L2+ (close to passing, L3), but apparently, those students were more likely to take the WASL again without losing a precious month of summer. In the end, it may have made little difference; we have to account for the possibility that the L2's who signed up for the summer course just might have been the go-getters of the bunch.

As for the "modest" increase relative to non-participants, the WSIPP report notes [pdf]:

The gains made by PAS participants reported in Exhibit 6 are relatively modest when one considers that reading scores range from 225 to 525 points and math scores vary between 200 and 575 points. For example, PAS participants improved by only 1.3 points relative to non-participants on a 300-point reading scale.

Cost to taxpayers: $28.5 million. Cost to OSPI's pedagogical credibility: incalculable.

How to Eat an Elephant

You know how to eat an elephant don't you? You have one bite at a time. (A brief aside here...I once had a colleague who asked why this joke couldn't be about cake. But then, who's to say an elephant wouldn't be just as tasty?)

About 8000 students in Washington are now taking on the math WASL one bite at a time. Known as "segmented math," students take the WASL at three different points during the year---each one representing a chunk of the whole test. By the end of the year, they have completed a whole WASL, but each test has only a few targets.

It is one option out of many in order to help students meet the standards and earn a diploma. The only unfortunate part at this point is that success on the segmented math test won't help any students who pilot it this year. I understand the reason for that from the state assessment perspective, but I also have a lot of sympathy for the kids I see each day sitting in our segmented math class who are not going to get anywhere for their efforts. It's already difficult enough to motivate them and keep them focused.

Overall, I do think that this is a reasonable way for the state to approach the math WASL. For those who wonder why the state doesn't move to end of course assessments instead (which would likely be a lot like these mini-WASLs), I believe the benefit to the segmented approach is that it still requires students to be well-rounded in their mathematical thinking. They need algebra and geometry and problem solving and so on. An end of course test is not going to produce the same sort of thinking.

And so this elephant---the one in the room for so long---the one which has long been known will be the Waterloo for many a high school student in pursuit of a diploma---has hopefully been made both appealing and edible. Want to know more? Have a look at the article in the Everett Herald.